A media advisory from the Delaware River Oil Spill Joint Information Center says that a survey team has located a metal object in the vicinity where the oil spill into the Delaware River from the tanker Athos I is suspected to have originated.

Using multiple sonar technologies, the object was found approximately 700 feet away from the CITGO dock in the anchorage area. Divers pinpointed the location of the object and identified it as a 15-foot curved piece of pipe.

Preliminary forensic tests of the paint on the pipe and paint on the vessel are a positive match. Further testing will also be conducted.

GPS tracking of the M/V Athos I indicates it passed over the object as it was being moved into place at the pier.

A salvage plan to recover the pipe is in progress.

Final results of the investigation could take several months.

The survey team included members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and╩Atmospheric Administration and a private contractor representative for the vessel owner